Banks stake claim to Government's record haul of dormant savings cash

Bank accounts dormant for three years are transferred to ASIC and held by the regulator until claimed.

Alan Porritt: AAP

The Bankers Association is calling for a change to rules which allow the Federal Government to take money from inactive savings accounts.

Figures from the corporate regulator show the Government took a record $360 million from 80,000 savings accounts this year as a change to unclaimed money laws took effect.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission holds money from bank accounts that have been inactive for three years and contain a balance of $500 or more.

Consumers can find the inactive accounts on an ASIC database and claim the money back off the corporate regulator.

The previous Labor government lowered the threshold at which money would be considered inactive from seven to three years, and the Australian Bankers Association's chief executive Steven Munchenburg says this needs to be reassessed.

"The three years that the previous Government brought in, without any consultation, was way too short a time frame - it does mean a lot of customers whose money isn't lost are in fact losing their money to their government and have to claim it back," he argued.

"What we are suggesting is five years would be a good balance between those who've lost their money and those who know exactly where their money is."

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey says the Government is reviewing its policy of seizing savings left idle for three years or more.

"Senator Mathias Cormann, who is the Assistant Treasurer, is going to release a discussion paper in relation to it," he said.

"It was the previous government's policy, we said at the time there are a number of flaws around it, obviously we will take on board concerns."

However, consumer group Choice is not backing the push by Australia's big banks for the Government to scale back its policy of taking money left idle in customers' accounts for three years.

Alan Kirkland from Choice says the banks' proposal just helps them raise more fees from customers' idle accounts.

"We'd acknowledge that some people have seen their funds transferred without them realising it, but I think this is a kind of wake-up message that it's never a good idea to leave your funds unattended for more than three years," he said.

"If they have been taken up as unclaimed monies then, of course, you can get them back."